French icon Karim Benzema swapped one Saudi club for another on Monday as he moved from rivals Al Ittihad to Al Hilal, a move that could spell bad news for the Saudis. Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Ballon d’Or winner joins Al Hilal, who are at the top of the Saudi Pro League, one point ahead of Ronaldo’s Al Nasr.
Ronaldo is still waiting for his first league win Move to Saudi Arabia in 2022 And he has seen his main rival strengthen with the arrival of five-time Champions League winner Benzema.
Former Real Madrid striker and teammate of Ronaldo at the Spanish giants. Last year, he led Al Ittihad to the title and the King’s Cup.
Al Hilal is Saudi Arabia’s most successful team with 21 league titles and 4 Asian Championships.
That was last year Manchester City stunned At the Club World Cup, they defeated Josep Guardiola’s team 4-3.
The team, led by two-time Champions League finalist Simone Inzaghi, poses a major threat to Ronaldo’s hopes of becoming league champions after sparking a wave of top footballers leaving the Saudi league, including Benzema.
Benzema’s signing comes amid reports that Ronaldo is unhappy with the lack of transfer activity from Al Nasr.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is the majority shareholder in Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nasr.
Al Hilal are used to signing great contracts; Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar In 2023. Previously tried to make a deal with Killian Mbappé, world record $332 million Then, last year, he moved to Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Ronaldo joins Al Nasr leave man united The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has become the face of Saudi football, but his only trophy is the Arab Champions Cup.
He was absent from Al Nasr’s Saudi Pro League match against Al Riyadh on Monday amid reports that he was unhappy.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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